Sister Thread - What's the most versatile SAK?

flyfishrman

flyfishrman

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Jul 23, 2006
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In responding to the "What's the most versatile Slippie?" thread I know we've all considered SAK's as many of the posts reflect. So here we go.

What is the most versatile SAK and why do you think so?

I have to answer based on what I carry most as it would seem to me my EDC choices reflect my feelings on the issue. So, two hit the list for me based on what I'm doing. I'm in a suit all week, so for business it's the SAK mini-champ. A pen, two small blades, a micrometer(I'm in medical devices and it comes in handy since my products are only millimeters in size), Phillips and flathead, bottle opener, etc. and only slightly larger than a classic.

In the field I always have my SAK One hand trekker. Nice long blade, can opener and a great saw that I've used on many occasions whether hiking, hunting or fishing.

What are your choices?
 
The one that has the combination of blades you need.

That said, I have so many of 'em I lose track of the names. The Rucksack, Camper and Farmer are three that come to mind for overall utility.

Of course, I love my Swiss Champ and their Swiss Tool Spirit (mult-tool) as well.

Too many choices.
 
I have long been a fan of the Soldier and have given several as gifts.

Ed T
 
If I'm away from home, say on holiday, I usually take the Huntsman.

I like the Tinker for general use.

I keep a Manager on my car keys.


Most versatile? Huntsman. Best balance of tools to weight/size.

It was the first SAK I bought and I still have it after 30 years. I did
a lot of travelling and camping with it in those days.
 
Vic Classic SD.

-Small, therefore affording an "always have a knife" attribute.

-Affordable, therefore most likely to be carried and actually used, with the acceptance, if messed up, or lost, no big deal to snag another.

-Ladies, Gents, Young or Old, can and do carry this knife. Along with having extras tossed in vehicles, purses, travel kits /shaving kits, desk drawers, briefcases, ...etc.

-Quality, affordable gifts, for again, both genders and all ages. Add, so many Colors such as Pink for the little lady so it matches her first .22 rifle, a Pink Cricket.

Classic Red, to better be PC in certain areas being the "recognized" color of a SAK.
Then again, company logos and other "customized" and personalized are available.

-Legality.
<expletives>
Still the Reality is, Internet is Global and even here in the US there are places where a closed length restriction is imposed (i.e. some Fed Gov and Gov offices of County and State, which some Corporations are going to).
Blade length restrictions of less than 2.5 inches are in place in some places I have learned.

-Disposable.
Meaning a co-worker needs a knife and if this one gets messed up, not "so bad". Heck letting them keep it, after showing and sharing proper use, leads toward passing forward to a future knife user and one that will assist in Knife Rights ( leading to Gun Rights we hope).

<expletives> TSA and forgetting the Classic on a key ring. Yeah, well, sentimental value is attached to those given by kids, or family, or the Company, still not as bad as losing a Peanut or some other knife.

-Proven.
To easy to open a package of crackers, mustard package, and not alarm anyone.
Scissors are sharp! Too many threads have been trimmed and since I have a mustache, to many times have I trimmed a wild hair.
Tweezers- darn things remove ticks, splinters and that wild hair on a ear, that like the mustache was "behaved" in leaving that morning.

Screwdriver, nail blade. Besides the "normal use" , the edge will toss a spark on a mag starter for a fire, the nail assists in striking a match, or "filing" a rough spot on a desk, ink pen, CD case...etc.

Toothpick, again , works for a probe for PDAs and the "set" buttons on too many hi-tech things today, from digital watches to computers to ...

~
Sticking with "minimalist" , Pocket Pal and Bantam complete a set of 3 for most useful.


Steve
 
My main knife is a Victorinox Pioneer. It's got the blades most useful for me and is easily pocketable. Recently, I added a Vic Rambler to the keychain on which I carry a lighter and a Photon Microlight.

The Rambler is just a little thicker than a Classic but adds a blade with a Phillips screwdriver on the tip, along with a bottle opener and a wire stripper. This makes it a bit more useful than the Classic and only costs about $5 more.

The Rambler makes a nice companion SAK for a traditional pocket knife like the Case Moose I sometimes carry.
 
The Huntsman I got when I was twelve has served me well for the past 25 years. For the past few years though, I tend to carry a multitool (Vic Spirit) more often.

For the outdoors, I have an Outrider, which is like a Huntsman on steroids.

I am considering a Mini Champ or Compact to use as a dress pants edc at work, although I wouldn't want to put aside the peanut that I use for that now.
 
For me it is the Vic Cadet. I use all 4 blades for one thing or another almost daily, and rarely wish I had anything else. It is one of my main carrying knives.
 
For me, the question isn't which one is most versatle -- the more tools the more versatility -- but how much versatility you're willing to carry. If I don't like carrying it, the versatility is useless.

For this reason I grativate towards the smaller, more simple models which fit well in my right front. My favorites are the small (84mm) Tinker, the Tourist (like the Tinker but with a corkscrew instead of a phillips), and the Cadet (which I'm carrying as I write). The tools on these models are the ones I use the most anyway. If I need more, I carry my Swisstool Spirit in its belt pouch.
 
For walking around daily, I prefer the Super-Tinker normally, but the Explorer Plus model is also a good combo.

For outdoors stuff, the Fieldmaster is a Super-Tinker with an added woodsaw that ranks high, or a discontinued Wenger Monarch.
 
KeithAM said:
For me, the question isn't which one is most versatle -- the more tools the more versatility -- but how much versatility you're willing to carry. If I don't like carrying it, the versatility is useless.
Click to expand...

Excellent point!! In a SHTF situation, I think a Ranger would be the best SAK to have on hand due to its urban/suburban/rural usefulness (file, woodsaw, scissors, and the usual SAK tools like large blade and can opener); yet, it's easy for my medium/large hand to use for long periods, unlike the SwissChamp or Champion, which seem too unwieldy to me.

For EDC, though, a five-layer SAK is just too much for me to carry in my pocket, and I'm not able to have a murse on me at all times, so I stick to 3-layer SAKs for pocket carry. My SuperTinker seems to handle all the major jobs I encounter in my white-collar life, although I recently bought a +B Yeoman that I'm trying to talk myself into using (hard to do with a $46 limited edition :eek:)...
 
I have a Climber, a Mini-Champ and a Pioneer Pruner. And a Classic. The Pruner has seen a lot of pocket time lately, but I've having trouble getting used to the alox handles.

I guess my vote goes to the the Mini-Champ. It's like a Classic, only better.

Andy
 
vildelivsbtfarmer1723iq0.jpg


For hands down versatility I just cannot find a better SAK than the Farmer. This Red one I just got from Amazon at an incredible price (<$15) so not only was it my favorite model but a great bargain to boot. This one finally evicted my standard silver version from my pocket.

silverfarmer0739tv8.jpg


The large blade, cap lifter and can opener coupled with a highly useful saw and the out-the-front awl just makes this model perfect in my view. It is not too thick and has an excellent combination of useful tools. It has nothing extra on it and has everything I generally want or need. It is my defination of a perfect pocket tool.
 
I agree with sm2. I've carried a Classic on my keyring for 18 years, and one scale has fallen off. That thing gets more use than any other knife I own, including the Huntsman that I carry as an EDC.I've also given the little Classic away as presents for years. They always seem to be appropriate no matter the occasion.

thx - cpr
 
Although I carried a tinker and a red pioneer that took turns in my pocket or nylon belt pouch for 20 years, I have to agree with the other posters on the classic SD. I have a cadet II and a Wenger SI that see daily carry, (not at the same time) the classic has done some amazing things over the course of the past several years I have been carrying one. The most important is converting non-knife people to knife carrying people. Karen converted me to a classic, so couple years ago for Christman stocking stuffers, I gave one each to many of the family who were non knife people, but who regularly asked if I had a knife on me. Of course they knew I had a knife, they just wanted something cut.

Over the next several months I noticed many of the previous non knife people taking out the little classic and opening mail, Fed Ex boxes, and the women loved the little sissors and nail file. Since I always carry my key ring on a carabiner clipped to my left side belt loop on my jeans, I made a snug leather sheath so I could take out the classic without having my whole key ring attached to the knife. The classic has been my first reached for knife since my experiment a long time back in how small a knife, or anything edc like pocket flashlights and monoculars could I get by with if I really had to. I experimented in how small an object could get and still function at its intended task. I guess I was trying to see how dad did it.

A year ago this past November our niece got married, and to help save a bit of money we helped her mom, Karen's sister, put on the wedding. In a couple of hours we set up a whole reception room with decorations including candlabras on each table. The candlalabras had to be cut out of the boxes and styrofoam cartons they came in, and the top part assembed to the lower part with a small set screw. Karen, Romillie, Diane, and brother in law Roger used our classics to do all the work. Also creape paper banners, and other decorations were set up with alot of clear packing tape, cut with classics.

Very sheeple friendly, low profile, cheap to replace, and has a "cute" factor that works to get under the radar. A year ago at a gun show up at the Westminster Ag. center I bought 4 of them from a lady that had a bunch of TSA knives for 3 dollars apiece. I used them for my pay it forward program of giving away to people in need of a knife. A young lady at Lowes one time, a collage kid another. I'd lend them the knife, and then tell them to keep it.

It does'nt have the beauty of a nice peanut, the cutting power of Wenger SI, but it will work for a heck of alot of things if you're carefull.

Okay, I admit I'm a closet classic fan.
 
orca8589 said:
I agree with sm2. I've carried a Classic on my keyring for 18 years, and one scale has fallen off. That thing gets more use than any other knife I own, including the Huntsman that I carry as an EDC.I've also given the little Classic away as presents for years. They always seem to be appropriate no matter the occasion.

thx - cpr
Click to expand...

Use Goop on the scale. It won't come off again.:thumbup:
 
Been on a bit of a Vic SAK kick of late.

Vics.jpg


Column 1: Workchamp XL, Outrider, Rucksack, Marlboro Outdoorsman, Farmer
Column 2: Fieldmaster, Huntsman, Climber, Camper, Spartan

My EDC SAK? I like the Climber a lot. Took this one on a two-week tour of Great Britain, and it never let me down. The scissors are the big plus for me on this model.
 
Most versatile would be an enormous monstrosity like the Swisschamp. I already carry at least one sharp knife, so I like SAKs for the three things other knives don't have: corkscrew, tweezers, and toothpick. I'm a big fan of Vic's 4-in-1, too, so I usually carry a Waiter. Been thinking I could use a Hunter, though... :D

JR
 
My Case CV's do most of my cutting work, but I carry a Vic Mechanic working everyday. The screwdrivers and pliers are used mostly. I own a lawn/landscape company and we take care of over 110 acres of turf per week. Its not uncommon to be 1/2 mile from the truck and find a bolt or something needing tightening or cut. While the pliers are not big, they will at least do the job long enough to get back to the truck.

I recently bought a Vic Pioneer Pruner and Pioneer Harvester in silver Alox. Both are extremely awesome. The pruner is very thin. The Harvester is similar to the Farmer except the small screwdriver on the Farmer is a Pruner blade on the Harvester.
 
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